How to Dewinterize Your Garage Door & Prepare It for Spring
What does it mean to dewinterize your door, and how do you do it? When we talk about dewinterizing a garage door, we simply mean preparing your garage door for the warmer weather.
During the winter months, you probably have not been inspired to do maintenance on your garage door. Freezing temperatures and ice are not an inviting climate to be outside working with the machinery of your garage door system. Even the idea of calling for professional maintenance in the winter may not be appealing, as you may be concerned about costs and the inconvenience of having your garage door open while it’s being worked on, letting all the cold air into your home. When spring comes, however, it is another matter entirely.
How Changing Seasons Can Impact Garage Doors
Extreme temperatures can be hard on a garage door. Parts that were already on the worn side can become even more distressed and require replacement more quickly. Ice and moisture may build up in and around the door, causing various functionality and potential repair issues. General debris can also collect around the door and need to be removed for the door to function properly. A new season may provide your earliest opportunity to safely and comfortably deal with a lot of these issues.
How to Prepare a Garage Door for Spring and Summer – Tips for Dewinterizing Your Garage Door
Dewinterizing your door entails assessing the condition of your door as soon as it gets warm enough, going through a simple maintenance checklist to make sure you will enjoy optimal garage door use all throughout the spring and summer months. Dewinterization maintenance steps can include the following:
- Clean your door: While this is not a fun task, it is the easiest way to get rid of some of the potential problems from winter that could plague your door. Wash the door, interior side and exterior side. Sweep up any debris under the door and make sure no dust is on the photo eye sensors. Check the tracks and the rollers that the system uses to guide the door up and down in your garage and make sure there is no debris there that could block the door as it goes up or down.
- Preserve and protect your door: If you have a wooden door, check for rot and consider adding another coat of paint and/or water sealant to seal out moisture and prevent future rotting. If you have a steel door, you’ll also want to check for rust.
- Check the weatherstripping: Make sure the weatherstripping is intact and replace any damaged weatherstripping. This will be important to seal in cool air on hot summer days when your air conditioner is running.
- Lubricate the door: Spring maintenance is a great time to make sure to fully lubricate your garage door. Your garage door system is a mechanical system with moving parts, and like any system with moving parts, it needs proper lubrication. Be sure to add lubrication to all moving parts and areas of friction from rollers and tracks to hinges. Use specially formulated garage door lubricant, not oil, as oil may collect dust and debris that could be bad for your door.
- Check bolts, springs and cables: The end of a long winter is also a good opportunity to check for worn-out parts. Your old springs and cables may have hung in for the winter, but they could be on their last legs. If you discover a part that appears to be worn out, contact Continental Door for immediate replacement. Trying to operate a garage door with worn-out parts could be dangerous and put stress on the rest of your door. If you make an effort to keep your springs and hinges rust-free, they will last longer.
The Importance of Preventative Maintenance and Annual Tune-Ups
Professional scheduled spring maintenance for garage doors is one easy way to make sure your garage door is ready for the season. When you call Continental Door for maintenance, we will perform all the steps above and more, making sure your door is in the best possible condition to get you through to the upcoming seasons.
While you should perform basic maintenance on your door between visits to maximize your door’s life, scheduling an annual tune-up or semi-annual tune up with the professionals at Continental Door can help ensure you get the most out of your door. We can clean and lubricate your door safely and accurately and will immediately notice if any of your parts are worn out enough to require replacement.
This can help you in two very important ways. One, it will increase the life of your door by putting less strain on your system, and two, it can help you prevent more costly repairs. If your garage door springs snap suddenly while you’re using your garage door, it could cause a sudden drop in the heavy door, which could damage the door or anyone or anything underneath it. If we see a problem with one of your garage door springs, we can replace both springs with durable new ones, so you can be confident in the safety and performance of your door.
While a quality garage door should last you a long time, depending upon how often you use it, taking the time to help your door recover from the effects of the elements can really be worth the time and effort.
Contact Continental Door Company for Reliable Garage Door Maintenance and Service in Greater Spokane, WA, and Northern Idaho
We would love to tell you more about our spring maintenance and annual tune-up plans, as well as how we can help you save money by taking care of your door before expensive repairs are necessary. We perform garage door maintenance for homes and businesses in the greater Spokane area and northern Idaho on a regular basis and are happy to put some of our expert technicians to work for you.
For a free estimate on garage door maintenance or to request service, contact us online or call us at 509-921-2260 today.
